This 109 acre park was originally laid out by Robert Marnock, a renowned landscape gardener, in 1878. It was formally opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on June 26 1882.
The park is a grade 2 designated site in the "Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest". The Lower Park has a Boating Lake, War Memorial, Bowls Green, Information Point, toilets, café, events areas, Bandstand and Adventure Playground. There's also a Park Rangers office at the tennis pavilion.
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Alexandra Park lies with steep-sided, largely wooded valleys at its northern extreme. Evidence has been found that suggests an early medieval settlement in the area of Shornden, including fragments of pottery and the existence of structures that may have been charcoal kilns.
By the end of the 18th century, Hastings was developing quickly as a notable south coast resort. The guidebook of 1797 highlights Old Roar Gill as a particular point of interest:
"The situation was beautifully romantic; for after long heavy rains a large body of water tumbles over with a tremendous roar that is heard a mile off".
In 1849 the Eversfield Waterworks Company was formed to supply water to the town's growing population. They leased land from the Eversfield Estate and by 1852 the Shornden and Harmers Reservoirs had been built.
Construction of the Buckshole reservoir had also started. At the other end of the park construction of the Hastings to Ashford railway line had got underway and a huge embankment formed the southern boundary to the park.
In 1877 the Council commissioned Robert Marnock to: "provide the bulk of the trees and shrubs which are likely to be required for the public park". A limit of £250 was set.
The park Alexandra Park was officially opened on June 26 1882 by the Prince and Princess of Wales (Princess Alexandra). A great procession took place from the railway station and once at the park the royal guests were introduced to Robert Marnock. Two memorial trees (believed to be limes) were planted and an album of photographs was presented to Princess Alexandra by Robert Marnock.
The event attracted great interest in the media of the day, including the London Illustrated News. The Hastings and St Leonards Observer gave a colourful account of the Park and concluded that Alexandra Park "will make one of the most picturesque and characteristic features of Hastings".
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Above: the Park in spring
A three-year restoration programme, financed through the Heritage Lottery Fund, is now complete. £3.464m has been spent restoring buildings and planting areas, reconstructing paths, providing new railings, a fantastic new playground and much more.
The 'Grand Opening' to celebrate the completion of the programme was held on Saturday April 24 2004 and included a special appearance by Charlie Dimmock, star of BBC1's Ground Force.
Use this link to see the Grand Opening Slideshow.
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One of the 19th century's outstanding horticulturalists and garden designers, this was the man primarily responsible for the look and layout of Alexandra Park which he landscaped in 1878.
He was also the man behind the Gardens of the Royal Botanic Society of London in Regent's Park and Warwick Castle's Rose Garden.
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The park is well known for its diverse and abundant wildlife, especially at the Northern end, known as 'Old Roar Gill' which is now a Local Nature Reserve.
Kingfishers and Grey Wagtails breed throughout the park and can be seen any time of the year, especially at Bucks-hole Reservoir and Harmers Pond.
Due to the closeness of the coast, many rare and scarce migrant birds visit the park including Night Heron, Little Bittern, Honey Buzzard and Ferruginous Duck.
Wild Orchids grow on the grassy banks around the park including Common Spotted Orchids, Green-Winged Orchids, Common Twayblade, and Autumn Ladies Tresses. Within Old Roar Gill, Broad-Leaved Helleborines and early Purple Orchids grow on the woodland floor.
Daubentons Bats can be seen flying over Shornden Reservoir on Summer evenings, and Noctule and Pipistrelle Bats are also seen regularly.
The park is also the only place in Hastings where the beautiful Demoiselle breeds. This is a large metallic green and blue damselfly and can be seen along the stream in the Lower Park during Summer. The park is best-known for the superb Toothwort population, which can number over 500 plants, in the Lower Park, and smaller numbers within Old Roar Gill.
click on the image for an enlarged map
Old Roar Gill & Coronation Wood, a Local Nature Reserve open to the public, is one of the most unexpected treasures of Hastings. It is a deeply cut, narrow valley running along the upper reaches of the stream that rises on the sandstone ridge to the north of the town and eventually through Alexandra Park, then on to the sea.
The word 'Gill' is well-known in the north of England as well as being in general use in Sussex for these small, steep-side valleys. It was originally an Old Norse word and may have been introduced directly into Sussex by the Vikings, or brought in much later by people moving to the area from the north of England.
One of the special insects of the gill that breeds in the wet, dead wood that is abundant in the gill is the cranefly Lipsothrix nervosa. This is not only rare and declining in Britain, it is one of the country's rather few endemic species that are found nowhere else in the world.
This gill woodland makes a wonderful habitat for a wide range of birds and those that nest here include spotted flycatcher, kingfisher, grey wagtail and lesser spotted woodpecker.
Coronation Wood was planted in 1937 as part of a scheme to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and further trees, or replacements, have been added from time to time. It is managed as amenity woodland with trees that will be allowed to develop to full maturity as the most important features. Many of these are oaks grown from acorns gathered in Windsor Great Park.
Old Roar Gill is a permanently open area and visitors are welcome at any time of year. The lower end of the gill is about 15 to 30 minutes walk from Hastings town centre and railway station and much of this walk is through Alexandra Park. The path through Coronation Wood is the most accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
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This group is made up of members of the community who are interested and care about the Park. They meet monthly and contribute to the management of the park. For just one pound a year you can become a member and help protect and promote the park for everybody. Telephone 01424 781338 for more information
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Alexandra Park is probably the best public park in Britain in which to see beautiful trees, both rare and common. All told, over 2000 trees of about 400 different kinds (including forms and cultivars) grow in the Park, and there are more in the adjacent woods. The cultivation of rare species seems to have begun during the laying out of the main part of the Park by Robert Marnock in 1878-1882, with collections of oaks, limes and maples being established, along with a bank of beech cultivars and an avenue of different hollies. Since then, a succession of enthusiastic park managers have helped perpetuate the tradition of growing trees normally only seen in botanic gardens. This fine collection of trees is nationally important, and one of Hastings' great assets.
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The information for this walk was put together by members of Friends of Alexandra Park, but its compilation owes an immeasurable debt to Dr Owen Johnson. It draws to a great extent on material which he supplied and would not have been possible without his vast knowledge of the trees in Alexandra Park. Dr Johnson's generosity in allowing us to use his work is gratefully acknowledged.
The Tree Walk starts at the St Helen's Road/Dordrecht Way entrance to the upper park.
The position of each tree featured in the walk is numbered from 1 to 22 on the Tree Walk map.
The walk is one kilometre in length and will take 30-40 mins at a leisurely stroll. There are a few gentle slopes but the route is generally suitable for disabled people. A café and toilets with full facilities are available nearby, in Lower Park on the other side of Dordrecht Way.
Adequate parking is available in Dordrecht Way at the start of this walk. Access by bus is available in nearby St Helens Road, the number 26A leaves Hastings Railway Station at 7, 27 and 47 minutes past the hour and terminates at the Conquest Hospital. The number 26 returns to the Railway Station.
click on the image for an enlarged Tree Walk map
As you enter the park the first tree that you see on your right is a Single-leaved Ash (Fraxinus excelsior f. diversifolia) which was planted in 1981. This tree is actually a form of our native Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), but you would not know so from the leaves. Native ash has leaves made up of 9 to 13 small leaflets on a single stalk (technically a compound leaf) but Single-leaved Ash, as its name indicates, has undivided leaves.
Continue along the path to the stone bridge. Don't go over the stream, but turn to your left. Walk a little way over the grass. Here you will see an Australian Gum tree, or Eucalypt - a Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. debeuzevillei) which hails from the mountains of New South Wales. Three Eucalypts were planted in this area in the mid 1970s but this, the biggest of its kind growing in Sussex, is the only one remaining and it is unfortunately not healthy, as you can see from its lower trunk. But it has a beautiful spiral bark pattern and the peeling bark which is characteristic of many Eucalyptus species.
Return to the main path and cross the bridge. Walk to your left across the grass. The first tree you come to is a Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus), also called Flowering Ash. This tree is most conspicuous in late May when it is covered in feathery white fragrant flowers. Its leaves are divided like those of the native Ash, but generally with fewer leaflets. The Manna Ash hails originally from southern Europe and western Asia and has been cultivated in Britain since 1700. It is common in town parks and gardens but there is only one other example in the Park.
Manna Ash leaf
Return to the main path. The next large tree on the right is another Eucalypt, a multi-stemmed Cider Gum (Eucalyptus gunnii) which bears fluffy white flowers in June. Its original home is Tasmania and in the UK it is one of the hardiest Gum trees, growing outdoors well into Scotland. Like all Eucalypts its leaves change as it gets older. The young leaves of the Cider Gum are round and waxy blue and popular with florists. If pruned hard (coppiced) in spring it can be maintained as a shrub with this attractive juvenile foliage. If left to grow it develops the adult leaves which are green, lance-shaped and leathery like those of all mature Gum trees. Apart from the Snow Gum, all the other Eucalypts in the Park are Cider Gums.
Continue along the path, looking to your right until you come across a small multi-stemmed tree with many leaves with more creamy white than green. This is a variegated form of the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas 'Variegata'). It is deciduous and its flowers appear in late winter, before the leaves, covering the tree in a strong yellow haze of bloom. The leaves themselves have veins which curve towards the tip of the leaf, which you can see if you examine them. The species is native to southern Europe.
Next to the Cornelian Cherry is a large Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba), one of several growing in the Park. In 2001 its height was measured at 17 metres; it is regarded as a "Sussex Champion Tree". Look at the leaves the fan shape is unmistakeable. In autumn their colour changes from bright green to golden yellow. Maidenhair Trees have male and female flowers on separate plants. This example is unusual in being female and it bears greenish plum-like fruit that rot with a nasty smell (this is why most cultivated trees are male). 150-200 million years ago trees of this type were very common but the Maidenhair Tree is the sole survivor - in effect it is a living fossil. In the wild it is now found only in eastern China, where it is rare, but it is also widely cultivated. In China it is regarded as sacred and is much planted around temples and shrines. In the west, in contrast, it is regarded as a good town tree. Not only is it very beautiful; it is also very tough and tolerates polluted urban environments.
Maidenhair leaf 
About 30 metres further along, and still on the right (behind the seat dedicated to Gladys Watts), are two Eucryphias (both Eucryphia x nymansensis 'Nymansay') planted close together, regarded as the finest in East Sussex. These slender evergreen trees with glossy green toothed leaves are not particularly obvious until August when they become wreathed in deliciously fragrant white poppy-like flowers. This particular Eucryphia is of Chilean ancestry, being a hybrid which arose from two species native to Chile which were growing in Nymans Garden near Haywards Heath in West Sussex.
Walk another 15 metres or so. A huge Magnolia with thick grey shoots and large oval leaves grows in the private garden next to the Park. It is a white-flowered variant of Campbell's Magnolia, (Magnolia campbellii var. alba), which comes from the Himalayas. In Britain this tree is not much planted because it usually takes 30 years or so to flower and then frost, wind and rain at the wrong time can ruin the flowers. But in a mild March it is perhaps the most spectacular tree here, with its huge cup-shaped flowers looking as if a great flock of white doves has settled in its branches.
Carry on until you come to the junction just before the iron bridge. The last tree on the right, somewhat dominated by a Holly, is another unusual one. It is a subspecies of the Gogun Tree, Meliosma dilleniifolia ssp. tenuis. It has dark green toothed leaves and is most noticeable in July when its clusters of small pale creamy yellow flowers cast a strong fragrance. This subspecies comes from Japan, but the name Gogun is taken from the Nepali name for the species.
Walk to the middle of the iron bridge. Look to your left to see the Chusan Palms (Trachycarpus fortunei, also called the Windmill Palm) growing by the stream, two on one side and four on the other. This palm is very hardy and can be safely grown outdoors in sheltered sites in much of Britain. Since it was first introduced from China in the 1830s it has been widely planted in parks and gardens. Chusan Palms were a favourite of the Victorians and might have figured on Robert Marnock's original planting list. Look for the large fan-shaped leaves on long stalks, with each leaf divided into many narrow strips, and from July the golden-yellow flower clusters. The fibrous looking 'bark' on the stem is actually made up of the remains of cast off leaves; in China the fibre is used to make raincoats. Other Chusan palms grow not far away; you will have already passed two.
Tropical trees near the stream 
Cross the bridge. Growing in the triangle of grass is a beautiful Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica f. glauca). This is a blue form of the Atlas Cedar which hails from the Atlas Mountains in North Africa and is one of the few trees from that region that grows really well in Britain. Like all true cedars (Cedrus species, which actually belong to the Pine family) it has small needle-like leaves with the older ones arranged in dense "bunches" on short shoots. A covering of wax on the needles gives the foliage its blue-grey colour and also helps to prevent loss of water from the leaves in dry and windy conditions. Look out for the cones which start off small and green and ripen to a purple-brown colour. There are a number of Blue Atlas Cedars in the Park, including a taller one on the Pine lawn (Upper Park, above the model railway).
Blue Atlas Cedar
Follow the path past the triangle. On the bank to your left, about 20 metres apart, are two tall Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata). Western Red Cedar is a native of forests in Canada and the United States. The red in the name comes from the bark, but Thuja species are quite different to Cedrus species. Western Red Cedar belongs to the Cypress family and its scale-like leaves are arranged in flat sprays. The foliage smells strongly. It is widely grown as both a specimen and hedge tree; there are about forty in the Park, and also several Chinese Thuja (Platycladus orientalis). But you may be more familiar with Western Red Cedar as timber; because it resists rotting it is widely used to construct garden sheds, greenhouses and other outdoor buildings.
Continue along the path until it opens out with the old pumping station directly in front of you. Turn to your right where you will see the entrance to the depot. On the left side of that entrance is a large Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), so-called because its greenish white flowers resemble a tulip. They appear in June and you need to look up into the tree to see them. Its strangely shaped "squared-off" green leaves are unmistakeable and in autumn they turn a beautiful rich yellow. The Tulip Tree was introduced from eastern North America in the late seventeenth century and is now common in parks, but it is not a tree for the small garden!
Tulip Tree leaf 
Now turn round and retrace your steps back to the triangle. The path forks; take the right fork. Almost immediately on your left you will see what looks like a small forest of red-barked cypresses but is actually a single tree; a cultivar of the Sawara Cypress known as Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera'. The 'Filifera' part of the name comes from the sprays of leaves which hang like long threads; this can just be seen if you look up into the tree but most of it has now reverted to the species. As its name suggests the Sawara Cypress originates from Japan and was introduced to Britain in 1861. There are a number of Sawara Cypresses in the Park but only one 'Filifera', which is generally rare in cultivation.
Continue along the path, which slopes down gently, until it forks. A large twin-trunked Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) grows where the path forks, recognisable from its long shiny toothed leaves. Its fissured bark spirals round the trunk, although not all Sweet Chestnuts have this obvious a pattern. Sweet Chestnut is native to the Mediterranean region and was introduced to Britain by the Romans; why is not known, but presumably for its edible nuts and its wood. Much later, particularly in the nineteenth century, many chestnut woods were planted in south east England to produce wood for poles and fencing by coppicing.
Sweet Chestnut leaf 
Now take the left fork of the path. About 30 metres along on your left is a large and well-proportioned Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea). It is most attractive when the new pinkish young leaves appear in spring; as they mature they turn dark purple. This is a form of our native Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and has the same cigar-shaped leaf buds, 'wavy' leaves and smooth grey bark.
Continue along the path until you come to the path on the left. At the top of the Bank is a big Oak with ivy on its trunk. This is Quercus x rosacea, a hybrid between our two wild oak species, English Oak and Sessile Oak. If you walk to the next junction and turn sharp right you can get a closer look at the leaves, you will see they are very large, much larger than leaves of either of its parents. There is some dispute about how rare this hybrid is, in part because the leaves of both its parents can vary in shape depending on where the seed came from.
Retrace your steps and return to the junction where on the right overhanging this spot is a big multi-stemmed Holm Oak (Quercus ilex). It looks quite unlike our native Oaks, being evergreen rather than deciduous and having leaves without lobes, but it does produce acorns. The leaves are dark green above and pale greyish-green underneath. Young leaves usually have teeth and are somewhat like those of Holly. This is reflected in the 'ilex' part of the Holm Oak's botanical name; Holly species have the first name Ilex. Holm Oak is very hardy and doesn't mind strong salt winds so it is often planted in coastal areas. It is perhaps prettiest is early summer when it flowers and its new leaves expand. It is common in the Park.
Now look down the bank again as you walk along the path. The bank over looking the tennis courts is known as the Cherry Bank: here a variety of Cherries (Prunus species) make a pretty display as they flower in spring. One that is not too difficult to identify is the Tibetan Cherry Prunus serrula, with its shining satiny reddish bark with horizontal brown markings. Its beautiful bark, particularly obvious in winter, and its compact size make it a popular garden tree. Despite its name it comes from western China. To the right of the Tibetan Cherry are two young trees with superficially somewhat similar leaves. The White Mulberry (Morus alba) has thin bright green leaves that vary in size and pinkish brown bark on the trunk; its leaves are the preferred food of the silkworm. The leaves of the Handkerchief or Dove Tree (Davidia involucrata) are pointed and heart-shaped.
Continue looking left as you walk along the path. Just before you reach Dordrecht Way two trees grow close together. The first, very large one (its height was measured at 17 metres in 2001), with branches hanging down almost to the ground, is a Fern-leaved Beech, Fagus sylvatica 'Aspleniifolia'. This is a cut-leaved cultivar of our native Beech. It has jaggedly-toothed leaves, quite different in shape to those of the regular Beech. There are two more Fern-leaved Beeches in Upper Park, which are exceptionally beautiful in Autumn.
The last tree on the left before you get to Dordrecht Way is an extremely rare Hawthorn, Crategus punctata. This is one of the biggest in Britain, superseded only by two growing in London Parks. In 2001 this tree was measured at 8 metres tall and 65 cm in diameter. It is related to our native Hawthorn or May (actually two species, Crategus monogyna and Crategus laevigata) which is common in hedges and woods, but its green leaves are not lobed like those of Hawthorn and its fruits or haws are crimson with white spots. It was introduced to Britain from Eastern North America in the mid-eighteenth century. As this tree is quite rare and not in very good condition, the Friends of the Park hope to propagate from it. This would have to be done by grafting or taking cuttings to ensure the resultant offspring are true to form. Hopefully we can then replace the original, when it finally succumbs to its poor health.
Now turn left and walk back along the road towards your starting point. About halfway along, and exactly opposite the drain in the road, a large Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) overhangs the path. One of several in the Park, its leaves resemble those of its relative the Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). Both have leaves with 5 lobes, but those of the Norway Maple are flatter and slightly smaller than those of the Sycamore. In flower - the yellow flowers appear in spring before the leaves - it is one of the showiest maples and in autumn its leaves turn yellow. This particular Norway maple is distinguished by the mistletoe growing on one of its topmost branches; mistletoe is an uncommon sight in East Sussex.
Maple leaf 
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These are in Adobe .pdf format:
Map of Alexandra Park (.pdf 363KB)
Old Roar Gill leaflet (.pdf 220KB)
Alexandra Park Tree Walk leaflet (.pdf 630KB)
You may find it useful to read our Help before downloading information
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This page last updated: 12/04/2005